


all my kisses for you, my princess

by SmoakScreen (midwestwind)



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M, Romance, Surprise Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-10 02:16:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3273065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midwestwind/pseuds/SmoakScreen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Princess Felicity meets the knight Sir John in the woods and.. it's probably not quite what you're expecting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	all my kisses for you, my princess

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stealthebuttons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stealthebuttons/gifts).



> Beth and I got to talking about a medieval John/Felicity AU (mildly inspired by my own tumblr [post](http://felicityssmoak.co.vu/post/109563932940/my-k-n-i-g-h-t-in-shining-armor)) and, well, this is not at all the scenarios we talked about but it happened regardless!

Dirt. Felicity could focus on nothing but dirt and uncomfortable shoes and the inability to take a real breath. She’d gotten used to only being able to take shallow breaths due to the tightness of her corset surprisingly quickly and her feet had gone numb somewhere around hour three of trudging through this God forsaken wood. The dirt, however, the dirt was becoming an annoyance she could not ignore. Large trees spouted around her, thankfully saving her from the sun’s heat, and you would think it would mean some grass somewhere. But, no, nothing but loose dirt that drifted upwards in clouds as she walked and clung to the bottoms of her skirts as they scraped the ground.

Of course, to top it all off, she was so very lost.

She groaned and lifted her skirts, stamping her feet to clear some of the dust off the toes of her shoes, and then giving the bottom of her dress a few firm pats. Not that it would matter, before she would make it much farther, everything would once again be caked in dirt and she’d just be repeating the process. She was supposed to be smart, for Heaven’s sake, and yet! Here she was. Lost, alone, repeatedly clearing herself of dirt just to be covered in it again.

A really marvelous day all around.

She’d only drifted off for a moment, seeking refuge from the hot sun and thick crowds. All of the ‘ _oh princess_ ’ this and ‘ _your highness_ ’ that had been terribly grating on her patience. It’s not like she had chosen this role, it had been thrust upon her. And she wouldn’t mind thrusting it right back where it came from. But she couldn’t do that without causing upset. So, instead, she’d snuck away for a bit of fresher air and a moment’s peace.

And, naturally, she’d gotten lost almost immediately. It really wasn’t her fault that all the trees looked the same and at some point any trace of footsteps besides her own had disappeared. She could still hear the sound of merriment and indulging going on in the direction she was headed – so, she must be going the right way.

A rustling a little ways off made her drop her skirts and freeze. She listened closely for any more noise and jumped when it came instead from right behind her. She spun on her foot, losing her balance and toppling right into the aforementioned God forsaken dirt. Now it’d be all over the back of her dress.

“Oh, please let it be a rabbit,” she murmured to herself, scrambling backwards from the noise, “please, please let it be a rabbit or a deer or something _without_ a thirst for blood.” She squeezed her eyes shut, stupidly, just in case. And then someone chuckled. She opened first one eye and then the other, looking up to find what she certainly hoped was a blood-thirst-less man. And he was smirking down at her. Because she was still sprawled in the dirt. She swears she used to be smart.

“Oh,” she squeaks, scrambling to stand up. The man – a knight she establishes from his silver armor and the distinct shield of the knights on the fabric sticking out from underneath it – reaches a hand forward to help her. She stares at it for a moment, trying to decide how much of her dignity is salvageable here, before realizing what would be _expected_ of her in this position and taking his outstretched hand.

“Are you all right, milady?” He asks once she is standing on her own two feet.

“Actually, my left is my dominant hand,” she responds without thinking, repeatedly patting her backside to dislodge the dirt from the bright purple fabric, twisting awkwardly to try and see behind herself and only succeeding in getting strands of her intricate braid stuck in her mouth. She freezes when she realizes the words that had come out of her mouth, looking back to the knight. He has an eyebrow raised but otherwise stands straight as a post, hands respectfully clasped in front of him. She clears her throat and straightens up, trying to drum up some semblance of a regal air.

“I mean, yes, thank you,” she tells him, “I’m quite all right, sir..?” She trails off waiting for his name.

“John, your highness.” She nods once, unable to fight the small smile that peeks at his words. He looks like a Sir John, certainly. The wood lapses into its natural silence as they each wait for the other to move first. John looks poised to stand stoic and unmoving all day and, really, Felicity has better things to do than stand here staring at him staring at her... well, more productive things at the very least.

“I’m afraid I’ve gotten myself rather lost,” she explains, turning in the direction from which she believes the music is coming, “would you mind terribly escorting me back to the festivities?” He nods, holding an arm out west of the direction in which she’d been heading the whole time. She holds back a groan at the sweeping motion and the knowing glint in his eye. She’d been going the wrong way all day.

“It would be my honor, princess,” he says, instead of mocking her for her misdirection. She’s not sure if she’s grateful or annoyed. She nods once, stiffly, and heads in front of him through the woods.

When they reach the edge of the wood, she can see the festivities in full force. Men, women, and children dance gleefully through the large square. The royal family – sans one now found princess – sits in their bright fabric covered chairs and watches on. Just as she’s about to step from the cover of the trees and rejoin the small village, John’s hand lands gently on the small of her back. It’s warm even through her considerable thick layers and he trails it around her waist as he steps around her. It isn’t the corset keeping her from breathing now.

His hand disappears as quickly as it had landed and he gives her a short bow.

“It’s been a pleasure, milady,” he tells her, straightening up to give her a wink. She purses her lips and glares at his retreating form before finally rejoining the party.

\--

The sun has long since set by the time the festivities begin winding down and Felicity has the opportunity to head home for the night. She looks forward to the comfort of her bed and doesn’t spare a glance back as she trudges across the dirt towards her means of transportation.

“Care for an escort, princess?” She hears behind her. She doesn’t stop, the voice familiar and his steps falling in with hers after a moment, but rolls her eyes at him.

“Cut it out, John,” she groans, “we’re off the clock.”

“Doesn’t mean you stop being my princess,” he offers, casually, and she smirks over at him.

“Smooth,” she comments. Her mini cooper is already in sight and her fingers are itching for the tech she knows it tucked safely inside. When she’d first started this medieval faire volunteer job – at the behest of John – she’d been convinced she wouldn’t be able to get through the day without easy access to her phone. She had gone so far as trying to hide it in her corset. Of course, John had seen through her immediately. He was good like that.

“Hey, no, wait,” he says, placing two fingers on the inside of her wrist and effectively stopping her with very little effort. Her breath catches again and she thinks that eventually she’s going to have to get used to him. It’s been months and he still has that effect on her.

“Seriously, Felicity,” he starts again once he’s sure he’s got her attention, “do you want to go get a drink or something? It was a long day.” Felicity sighs, throws a longing look over her shoulder towards her car and thinks about her bed at home. Looking back around, she finds John staring at her intently as his thumb joins his fingers on the inside of her wrist, rubbing small circles into the sensitive skin there. God, she’s a goner.

“Sure, fine, whatever,” she says, trying to sound casual and bothered. The smile on her face betrays her and John grins, leaning down to peck her lightly on the lips. He drops her hand and turns heading in the direction of his own car.

“Meet you at that place by your house after we’ve changed?” He asks but continues on before she can do more than nod. “I’ll even let you pay!” He grins wickedly at her before turning and jogging towards his car. She rolls her eyes fondly, turning back towards her Mini Cooper.

“My knight in shining armor,” she grumbles, fishing her key fob out of her cleavage.


End file.
